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Just Walk Away, Republicans

RUSH: I'm having trouble coming up with a term for this. But the conventional wisdom, the groupthink, I mean, folks, I don't care where you go, and this is not a criticism. I'm actually looking at this in wonderment. I don't care where you go. It could be a left-wing blog or right-wing blog, a left-wing magazine, a right-wing magazine, a left-wing newspaper, right-wing newspaper, they're all analyzing these negotiations in the same way: Can Obama prevail over the Republicans? Do the Republicans have any leverage? Are the Republicans going to get entitlement reform? Will there be any serious tax reform? Will there be any serious spending cuts?

All of that is just bunk. It's not real. That's not what's happening. In the leverage that the Republicans have? "That's right, Mr. Limbaugh, the Republicans have leverage that they don't even know they have, because Obama doesn't want that second term recession. They need to call his bluff. They don't dare cave on this because Obama does not want to be saddled with a second term recession." I don't think he cared about the first term recession. And besides, an Obama recession is never gonna be called a recession. The people who write the history are Obama's friends. Whatever happens economically: 399,000 unemployment claims is good news, and 7.9, 8.2% unemployment, not a problem.

Would somebody explain to me how the people who elected Obama, who support Obama, who love Obama in the media, in the universities, who write the history, are going to write anything critical of the guy no matter what happens? Even if there is a second term recession, you're gonna need a telescope to find it reported, just like you need a telescope to find Oprah's network now. It won't be reported as a recession. So what is the leverage that the Republicans have? To my mind the only leverage they've got is to walk away from this, to stop playing, to stop talking, to stop playing this game.

The Republicans lost. Now, they still control the House of Representatives. Boehner still runs the show there. But the only leverage that I can see that they've got is to back out of this and make sure that whatever happens, they don't have any fingerprints on it. I know what you're saying, and you'd be right. You're saying, "But, Rush, but, Rush, no matter what the Republicans do, they're gonna get blamed for it." Yes, totally true. No matter what happens. If there is a reported recession, in fact, it will be said to be the Republicans in the House fault. No matter what happens, that's going to be said, and no matter what happens, as we sit here now, the American people, the majority of whom, are gonna believe that.

So back out of this and make sure you don't have any fingerprints on this at all. "But, Rush, but, Rush, aren't your fingerprints going to be on it if you back out? Couldn't the case be made that Republicans backing out and letting Obama have his way is, in effect, allowing this transformation to happen, can't you say there would be fingerprints there?" Yes. But I'm telling you there's another aspect to this that Obama is attempting to pull off here, and if the Republicans aren't careful, it's going to happen. Not only is he not worried about a recession in the second term, 'cause even if there is one, it will not be reported as such.

Part of Obama's transformation of America is wiping out the Republican Party. And anyone who fails to understand that that is also part of Obama's agenda at this moment, anybody who fails to understand that is really not paying attention and is too caught up in traditional conventional wisdom about, "Well, it was just another election. Well, yes, Obama won. Yes, we marshaled our forces, but we need to stand for pro-growth policies and all that rotgut." Yes, we do. There's no way we're ever gonna be tied to pro-growth policies if our fingerprints are on this coming disaster.

Folks, let me raise another point here with you, talking about how to stave this off. Let me give you some words that are never associated with current Republican leaders. And this is not personal criticism either; simply a recitation of reality as we sit here today. You will never hear these words said about or associated with any current Republican leader: clever, brilliant, masterful, feared, charismatic. All of those words are applied to the Democrats. Every one of those words is applied to Obama. There isn't room in the media narrative for any of those words to be attached to a Republican leader.

In other words, let's say we wanted to engage. Let's say we wanted to just roll up the sleeves and get in the mud with all these Democrats and really try to stop them dead in their tracks. Would somebody point to me the Republican who can do that by virtue of evidence. And again, not criticism. I don't want anybody calling anybody's office and saying I'm calling people cowards. I'm not doing that at all. I'm simply assessing the situation as it exists and if the motivation, if the objective is to strike a deal, we're finished, because it isn't going to be a deal advantageous to us.

Those cards were taken off the table on Election Day. The best thing to do is back out of this and let Obama and the Democrats have it and do what they gotta do. 'Cause that's gonna happen anyway. I don't know about you, but I don't want my fingerprints on this.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Now, don't misunderstand me, ladies and gentlemen. I'm not coming up here with a partisan strategy that's based only on partisan concerns for the Republicans. I think if you want to call Obama's bluff -- if that's what you really believe, if there are people who think that Obama will not go where he wants to go unless he has Republican fingerprints -- then don't give him any. If you believe the Republicans truly have leverage, then use it.

And the way you use it is making sure that as far as Obama's concerned, he doesn't have any assistance in taking this country over the cliff, that that's all him. That's my only point here. And let's find out. Let's find out real fast.